Rings Around The World

Listened to this twice, although neither time very closely. Vocals reminded me a lot of Damon Albarn (I feel like I say that a lot), with some interesting compositions bleeding psychedelic electronica with alternative rock. Some standouts to me were Sidewalk Serfer Girl, [A] Touch Sensitive, and Juxtapozed with U. Each of these for very different reasons... Server Girl I really liked the back and forth and layering to the production. [A] Touch Sensitive was an overt detour into trip-hop. And Juxtapozed was a bright little ditty with orchestral flourishes fit for summer listening. Ultimately, I enjoyed the variety, but don't think I'll be back for a third listen immediately. This is a soft 4 in my eyes.

Mostly chill album with some odd but enjoyable electronic dips. Loved "No Sympathy"

This album definitely gets a nod for its creativity and uniqueness that is for sure. This band must have completely changed their style from the other album that came up here because looking back I said it was pretty boring alternative. This was very far from that. There were some crazy sounds going on throughout this whole album. None more than the ending of No Sympathy, that was absolute madness. Not quite worth a 5 but it is a very high 4 and an album I will really want to relisten to. I wish on this website there was a thing that you could mark to flag an album to relisten to.

This is definitely weird. Going back to the other SFA review this one was a weird one but certainly unique. Had me pretty locked in for almost all of it gotta say. No Sympathy is your brain on drugs. That album was a trip. Feel like I need to check more of these guys' stuff out.

Tell em to bring out the mid eheehe

This was one genre blending thrill ride of a record. At times it felt dull and others it felt a little weird. Overall, I enjoyed listening to it and the good songs are fucking phenomenal.

I'm quite impressed with this. It's a really varied, eclectic record, with lots of interesting approaches and bits of detail. I like the vocal harmonies, the variance in instruments and just the general mood. It's quite floaty in places, but dramatic and bombastic in others.

Many songs sounded like end cutscene music where there is a feast in the town and the protagonist is happily reminiscing over their journey. Stand-out: Presidential Suite

I really liked this album. Thought it was a fun kinda funky slow dance for most of it. Liked the dude’s voice and the lyrics. Instruments were funky and very pleasant to listen to. Really liked.

Delightful weirdness from when the century was still shiny and new. I'd never listened to Super Furry Animals before, and I'm grateful for the opportunity to discover them.

I enjoyed this. It's got a lot of eclectic sounds on it but all from my era. I've not really listened to the Super Furry Animals before but would give it another go!

Another great blast of nostalgia, this time added to the fact that this absolutely stands up on its own terms as a high-quality record. There are so many great songs on here, only let down (as SFA quite often do) by a few too many trips into all out psych for me. The big hits - Juxtaposed, the title track and Run Christian Run - are all standout, but there are gems across the board really.

If I listened to any individual song, I wouldn't be very impressed. But as an album it is fantastic how so many genres are woven throughout. You never know where they're taking you next and that gives it a lot of charm. Fun!

This is our second album by Super Furry Animals, a band I had not heard of prior. "Receptacle for the Respectable" did not go the way I thought it would. I felt like I was descending into some sort of hellish prison camp for the last 45s. The album is nice and all of the songs are pretty pleasant. None of it really grips me, but it was all fun to listen to. 7/10

Необычная музыка, хотелось бы послушать еще раз

Nice to see SFA’s in this project.

Never heard of em, but genre wise I think I'll like it. The cover is quite weird and it's either hardly worked on or randomly made, dunno if it has history basically. Tho based on the name is it gonna be a little bit of everything of what world offers in music(?), I doubt that but that would be a cool project. Anyway no high expectations, still I'll prolly not dislike it as much. Now that I'm thinking, I guess I've heard of them, but I never gave them a listen so I don't know them in any way. First song, the start is slow already, it's giving Doves. Piano is quite good and now violins joined in. I like the vibes for now, we'll see how good of a voice the MS has. Really weird delivery and the way voice sounds. I like the delivery now, makes me want to learn the lyrics if they weren't so low in quantity. Not gonna add this song, it gave me nothing, but is a good start for an album I can say that. The sound didn't stop till the end and I thought there would be a transition but nope. Second song, he has an automatically sad voice, wooow the guitar guitaring randomly is really good. I feel this experimental beat and I love it. Delivery is good, but overall the song isn't catchy or smth it's just good with different standards. Obsessed with that random guitar coming in part. Third song, liked the start, but the continuation is less good. His lyrical delivery and sonicality overall is mid. There are diff people talking through the phone, touché I guess. The ending sonically is reaaally good, should have used that as a melody. I'd add this song just because of the last part, though not sure. 4th song, quiet start and a literal Vampire Weekend kinda song turned on after that. This probably had the best melodic delivery. Is this a woman's voice at the end? Liked the overall vibe, even though there was no catchy part, it's basically a grower and I'll one day like it moooore than now. 5th song, upbeat start and electric orchestra vibe with them background voices. Dunno the lyrics but it's a quirky song. It became less upbeat and a little slow though the flow is still fast, he's singing the chorus over and over too I think. Futuristic jazz vibes. Not one of em boring instrumental breaks basically. I'm sorry WHAAAT? METAL?! They're trying hard to make it metal, and it kinda is but also the fact that song was goofy af sonically and then became this, easily one of the best decisions idc. Favourite song for now, plus that ending gawd damnn. 6th song, futuristic sounds again. It's sonically eerie. It's fully instrumental I think, that made it worse. I hear moaning? That's less bad. Only piano stayed and everything else was quiet, then the whole orchestra came in, but the violin is the most dominant of the sounds. Not smth I'd relisten to, there are some parts for that but also no. 7th song, it's giving music(I'm rereading before I submit and I have no idea what music vibes is, probably my keyboard corrected it Goddd) vibes, and now it's sad. Each part is too different, the outro and intro specifically. It can be fun at some points, but then again there are too many sounds like this everywhere right, the delivery is the same, but I'd argue that I definitely sense smth more. 8th Interlude, quite a short of a song, I expect others being long AF from now on, but nothing I can do about that. It's ambient sad, kinda liking it. Still nothing wowy. 9th song, guitar on the left. Long AF song as I expected. Since they have time the intro is long as well, good choice I suppose. I hear a plane taking off kinda sound. His voice is really scratching my brain in the right places. The delivery is good basically. Electric orchestra vibes with these poly voice lyrical delivery. Love me some dark lyrics. I've had a pause before continuing listening so I don't fully remember other songs, but this is really good. Chorus is quite catchy. Lot's of instrumental breaks. Barapabas came in, and it's getting faster. Makes the song feel a little unserious. SHIT BECAME EXPERIMENTAL IN A SECOND. My right ear is getting a lot of attention. God damn this is good. It's rave club vibes I cannot believe this. It's giving Sophie and I simply don't believe it. They had the ability to do this and decided not to wtfff. 10th song, what a switch up goddamn, this is a little romantic rocky song and compared to what just happened 1 minute ago I meannn. The voice seems autotuned, not anymore, but still different from how he sounded in the last song. The violin is really good here. The lyrical delivery is fabulous, I just wanna sing alone with him atp. Suited ending. 11th song, a mellow guitar vibes. "Do we need to know if he really came inside her house"???!! What are these Prince lyrics girlll, love them tho. Song has a political message apparently. The trumpet is quiet, but does its job perfectly. It does become the main character at this point, but it's not as loud as it usually is so, not that it should be. The chorus is yet catchy af. Another perfect ending, plus we got some jazz vibes. 12th song, futuristic start tbh. A little new waveness came in. Looong af songs, they be entertaining tho. Voice has been quite the same after that Sophie song. Less interesting production and lyricalness. The chorus is too good now I can't decide if it's overall song is bad. Christian and not Christine apparently, the pronunciation caught my ear so I just noticed that in the title. There was only good part for now. Also I feel like this one is focused on the lyrics rather how good it actually sounds like. It ain't going anywhere, tho a little country vibes came in. Oohs are sang in a disappointing manner. Really should have experimentalised this song too, it is getting louder at the end(best part ig) but still. 13th song, finally that kind of sound came back. It's just satisfying to hear. Short song and it's the last one and honestly, it fits. Even though I don't fully remember the songs before 8th song, I think; I still loved most of the songs after 8, so I WAS thinking 5 stars, but that is a hard one to get, album has to have bop after bop for me to do that(or special occasions such as liking an artist unconditionally). Anyway, it's really good, I'm gonna do 4 stars because they had the chance to make some better and much more future-like sounds and they basically refused to delve into that subject, that's their only fault, alsoo the songs are too slow, one got close to rave but it should have lasted longer. Really didn't expect to like this as much as I did, I hope I'll get another album from these guys.

A pleasant surprise! Another blindspot from the early 2000s. An eclectic bunch of songs - hearing traces Flaming Lips, Spiritualized, Blur (vocals?), but all combined makes for one hell of an album.

Interesting. Very odd but surprisingly good. Some of the too-techno-y stuff was a bit overwhelming, but pretty good overall.

Favorite Track: Receptacle for the Respectable

I love so much about these tracks individually, as songs. However they don't successfully come together as a full album. I enjoyed their debut a bit more

A little bit of an oddity in the timeline that connects The Beach Boys and 13th Floor Elevators to latter day Britpop, I would still call this a borderline classic. There is a lot to like here, some really great songs. The futuristic multi-genre sound is still fresh, and will still be fresh many years on. The bonus disc from the US release has some pretty great songs too, although maybe not part of the proper album. Presidential Suite, Juxtaposed with U, Sidewalk Serfer Girl, are all great. Roman Road and Edam Anchorman - love those from the bonus disc. Also a fun listen.

Very enjoyable album. I only have vague memories of them when I was a kid and never listened to them too much. Turns out that they're rather interesting and there's more to them than a lot of their contemporaries. Although, the lead singer's voice reminded me so much of Damon Albarn at times which made it feel like I was listening to an experimental Blur album. Not a bad thing.

We got two Super Furry Animals albums in this book. I thought they were the Barenaked Ladies of Wales and that's not entirely accurate. Still, TWO ALBUMS? Is that necessary? I realize they are from Wales, so naturally that makes their albums more important than an album from a group in any other part of the world, but I wish the editors of this book had shown a bit more restraint. I got strong ELO vibes from a few of the songs, especially on "Rings Around the World" and I am not sure Jeff Lynne didn't really write that song. Same thing for "It's not the End of the World." This is the second straight day of some surprising brit-pop influences in the album I am listening to. No Sympathy is an interesting song and gets more interesting at the end of it. Not sure why the band chose to add all those sounds, but it did make the song more interesting. Juxtaposed with U has some strong Barry White vibes at the beginning of the song. It's probably the best song on the album and I really liked it. Overall, a pretty good album and I enjoyed it. I'm interested to see if the other album by Super Fuzzy Animals is better than this one, just so I can complain with opinionated fact that only one of their albums should have been in this book.

pretty good, great job brits

Second SFA album in the list. I gave Fuzzy Logic a 4 some time ago, and from memory, FL is better than Rings Around the World, an album I never managed to get into ..but on this occasion I tried a bit harder and much admit: RAtW is equally strong, in particular Run! Christian, Run! is a truly great song.

A collection of mostly beautiful songs with an occasional outburst. I like it like that.

Interesting. Seems quite chilled out so far.

This album was right up my alley, I loooove all of the psychedelic weirdness. Notable tracks: all of it

4 stars

Super cool album, very mellow (mostly) and very hummable. I found myself humming the melodies with the chord progressions in my head in between songs. Not really my genre -- a little too sleepy for me -- but I still really enjoyed the listen. Four stars.

Not really sure how to categorize this music, but it was both chill and rockin’ and I dug it!

3.8 - Never heard them before, but I think I've heard of them. Was actually really cool in parts and some great experimental parts with brit pop vibe? But not sure how much I'll sit and listen to them

The song Rings Around The World has a glorious groove, great hooks. Rest of the album is good, too - catchy, infectious, gently psychedelic.

A very nice album. Pop / rock music of the highest quality. Beautiful melodies, lovely harmonies and quality songs. I'll be listening often and exploring their catalogue more deeply. 4 stars

Nice to see this on the list, if a touch surprising: in my mind it's maybe SFA's 4th or 5th best record. And I don't mean that as a back-handed compliment; more a testament to the strength of the Furries' catalogue. Some surf-pop vibes. Some soaring ballads. A bit of a melancholy vein throughout. Still very inventive, still really good.

Surprisingly great, way too fucking long though

Thoughts before listening: 00s era Brit pop band. I remember thinking at one point that I liked these guys, but I've gone back somewhat recently to revisit them only to find I don't recognize any of their songs. Maybe on a deeper listen something will click. Review: I like this quite a bit. There are some weird and unnecessary sound collage parts, but there are some great songs on here as well. This is truly a pleasant surprise. Lots of Beatlesesque melodies and harmonies throughout, with a fairly varied sound. I am certainly enjoying this more than I have other Brit pop bands like Blur. 4-stars

I started listening to this at work a few days earlier, but was feeling a bit burned out on new albums so only got about halfway through and didn't come back to it for a few days. I'm glad I came back a bit more refreshed, because this was super enjoyable. This thing has a really unique sound, it has moments where it kind of sounds like other artists (I got a Saint Motel vibe a few times), but for the most part it just sounds really fresh and interesting. I guess I'd call it like alt-rock, but it has a bunch of other sounds too (electronic, pop, metal, punk...). There are a few songs where it strays a bit beyond my enjoyment (a few of the electronic riffs linger a bit), but overall just a super enjoyable listen. This also has two of my favorite songs that I've heard recently on here, so the peak is high. "Juxtaposed with U" is just such a fun bouncy rock-soul track, it's been stuck in my head for days now. "It's Not the End of the World?" is a bit slower, but is also super strong. Awesome album overall, I enjoyed this a lot. Favorite song: Juxtaposed with U Other: Sidewalk Serfer Girl, (Drawing) Rings Around the World, It’s Not the End of the World, Shoot Doris Day, No Sympathy, Presidential Suite, Run! Christian Run! 8/10/24

Beneath the soft fuzzy exterior lurks a dark, sinister inside.

This album was all over the place stylistically, but really enjoyable to listen to. I'm not sure how much staying power this one will have, but my knee-jerk reaction was one of enjoyment, so that's how I ended up rating this one.

What a strange and wonderful album. So far, I'm five songs in and have enjoyed each one so far, despite the fact that most of these songs seem to come from different genres. Everything is well executed despite the massive diversity in sounds. Love the music, love the harmonies, love how I can never seem to wrap my mind around exactly what this album is 4/5

Definitely worth a second listen. My interest started to fade near the end, but it was eclectic enough to keep me listening. Sort of like a modern take on ELO, with a variety of styles, and some interesting sections.

Overambitious effort from the SFA on their major label debut. Simultaneously wildly poppy (eg title track) and wilfully obscure (A Touch Sensitive). Not a bum note in their catalogue, nevertheless their fizzy off kilter debut on Creation debut was always going to make for impossible encores

Este album fue una completa sorpresa. Me ha encantado y no he parado de escucharlo desde el viernes. It's not the end of the qorld y Presidential Suit han pasado a ser mis favoritas

Was expecting to dislike this after their other album, but it was actually alright. An interesting mix of songs. Feeling generous with the rating.

Au début j’étais zéro plus une barre convaincue que ça allait être bon. Vraiment, l’oppener est la pire toune qu’ils aurait pu mettre, parce que le reste est tellement meilleurs et audacieux niveau arrangement sonore et mix de style. Ça me fait penser à du Blur avec une touche de techno à la Justice, donc des bons gigots de zique

Super furry animals son una banda única, y este disco es su mejor compendio. Ya con la apertura de Alternate Route to Vulcan Street indica que estás ante un disco diferente. No es hasta (Drawing) Rings Around the World que uno se encuentra con algo parecido a una canción convencional, radiable. Fue uno de los sencillos publicados del disco junto con Juxtapozed with U, el primer adelanto, una canción radiante que resuena a soul del bueno, y It's Not the End of the World? que trata sobre la extinción humana. [A] Touch Sensitive es un precioso interludio, como Miniature. Shoot Doris Day es lo que Lenny Kravtiz lleva buscando desde su infancia (tiene una melodía similar al Fields of joy). Paul McCartney interviene masticando apio y zanahorias en la ¿extraña? Receptable for the Respectable. No sympathy es otra delicia, mezcla una melodía y armonías folk con ritmos electrónicos y todo encaja. Sorprenden el country psicodélico de Run! Christian, Run! y el cierre onírico de Fragile happiness En el año del revival garagero con Is this it de los Strokes y White blood cells de los White Stripes como punta de lanza, así como otros discos estupendos: el canto del cisne de Bjork con Vespertine, Rock action, el album verde de Weezer, Rock action, Origin of symmetry, Morning view, Gold, The Invisible Band... (otros discos notabes también fueron Love and theft, Hallelujah! de La Buena Vida o el segundo de Manu Chao) y con la electrónica a pleno rendimiento ya fuera por vía experimental (Amnesiac), estética (Discovery, los debuts de Gorillaz, Zero 7) o simplemente lúdica (Fever de Kilye...) ese mismo año publican Madredeus el sugerente Movimento (en 2002 fusionarán su estilo con la electrónica en, precisamente, Electronico) este disco suena de otra dimensión. Otro universo paralelo en el que podrían caber The Flaming Lips, Animal Collective, The Beta Band y unos pocos chiflados más...

I enjoyed this quite a bit and have only had limited exposure to this band. I'll have to give it some more listens.

Blidning - realistically a 4.5* but I'll round it down just because the lack of an overall structure lets it down a smidge. I'm a big fan of how chaotic it is though. It gave me the same feeling I get when I'm walking through a fairground and there are always a dozen different things happening at once. Definitely deserves a second-pass

Probably one of the more interesting albums that didn't about the crap or if me. Chill at parts, weird at others, but pretty good overall. 4/5

That's quite a mix of styles. Some parts I didn't like, but a lot more that I did enjoy

This was a fun album. I enjoyed the vibe and really enjoyed some of the lyrics. It was fun!

I'd never heard this, nice to have a dose of SFA. They sound a little like Welshy Blur on this record. I was gung-ho for it first listen but less so second time around, still giving it a 4 though.

I liked it a lot more than I expected going in. A lot of fun and a lot of tracks I think I’ll be going back to. Also cool to listen to a Welsh band. It’s crazy how much the singer sounds like Damon Albarn at points. Rating: 4.5

4.5!

Wasn't a fan of first couple of songs, but kept listening and got better and better. I remember them from mid-90s, but never got into them too much. Gonna go search for more of their stuff. 3.5

This was a great surprise, never heard of them and I really enjoyed it. They play with genre really effectively, and the songs can be very silly but it feels very authentic.

Echt nice and chill

The second time I’ve gotten an album by this band that I had never heard of before this project. The first album I heard of theirs, I thought was fine, nothing special, gave it a three. But this one slaps! I’m not sure how they never entered into my awareness with this one. A blend of styles, kind of futuristic psychedelic pop. Good listen.

Nice psychedelic vibes

Super Furry Animals gets it. They meandered a lot on their first album but this shows a lot of growth for the band, especially in the songwriting department. They never quite shook off their psychedelic influences, but their willingness to experiment with new sounds has improved their sound tenfold. The Super Furry Animals of the 2000s is tons more interesting that the Super Furry Animals of the '90s, and I love them for it. Is the album a bit all over the place? Sure, but it can be forgiven for all the moments that made me think "wow, these guys were ballin'!" I love it when an album is fully realized like this. Sounds great.

I thought this was a lovely album. Great set of songs, very consistent. I'll listen to this again, definitely.

Best leuk, maar net niet. Lekker diverse nummers

I think about Sper Furry Animals as another britpop act. Members of a scene. Maybe a little more psychedelic than their peers. So, when I saw the release date of this album (2001), I thought about other acts leading the musical discourse by then: The Strokes, The Libertines, etc., and did not have many expectations. By that time, I had only listened to "Juxtaposed by you" but thought it was a full album released to support that minor hit and that was all. I was wrong. This album sounded more like Dandy Warhols or Brian Jonestown Massacre than Supergrass. I enjoyed it. However, the unanswered question was, again, why should I listen to it before I die? What's the argument? Was it necessary? Well, besides a good time, I don't see any other reason.

I really liked a lot of this. It's the bass that does it on many of the tracks.

I think that this another case of mistaken identity. I assumed that Super Furry Animals were a novelty kids band, like the Wombles. However, they turn out to be a sort of Welsh psychedelic, shoe gazy, dubstep version of the Beach Boys with songs morphing from mellow piano introductions into glitchy electronica without pausing for breath. One track even features Paul McCartney chewing celery in the background. Enjoyably bonkers!

Again, a new discovery for me. Great stylistic variety.

One of the more interesting bands to emerge during the BritPop era, SFA never quite followed the rules and their sound was richer for it. Personally, I’d pick Radiator as there best but here is a perfectly good album which showcases their range of musical interests.

Wonderful album, I could listen to some of the tracks on this all day. SFA are great.

Pretty genius stuff. I think I'd only heard one or two of their songs before, so this is a pleasant surprise from the early noughties. Very creative with just enough catchiness to keep me interested.

What a weird and delightful album. Lots of weird sounds, weird sound effects (or maybe weird instruments). Yet for some reason enjoyable. I didn’t pay as much attention to the lyrics as I’d like to, but it was good anyways. Definitely something to listen to more of

this album is fascinating in the sense that... i've listened to plenty of fusion albums before but this feels more like... a collage of different genres. is it pop? is it rock? is it electronic? is it indie? it's a very interesting little hodgepodge of sound. a good hodgepodge! i really like how some of the tracks start off in one way then end off sounding completely different.

Meant to say Saturn, switched up the pattern

This feels like the sort of album Beck was going for with Guero, but Super Furry Animals pull it off so much better. The psychedelic and electronic elements work well together, and the lyrics and their humour are enjoyable and thought provoking. I’d have to spend some more time with it, I think, to fully get it, but I enjoyed it a lot on a first listen through

Really unique album that incorporates a lot of different styles and themes. You can never really tell what is coming next.

Great album! Great band.

Fun fact: On one of our first dates as an official couple we were given a promo copy of 'Juxtaposed Wit U'. We seriously considered having it as our first dance at our wedding, but ultimately decided that the lyrics "I'm not in love with you, But I won't hold that against you" weren't, perhaps, in the spirit of things. Still, the song holds a special place for us. I've rarely listened to the whole album, so this was a nice treat. The Furries are probably the most underrated outfit of the 90s Brit Pop era, and I've always liked their more cosmic take on life and music. It's a trip of an album. You get slow ballads, then fairly standard indie, then a bit of Bristolian trip-hop, then some country and western. Oh and we'll throw in a proto-dubstep, Squarepusher techno banger too. I wouldn't listen to it very often, but one I would definitely reach for when the mood strikes.

muy copado el viaje que proponen

Kinda weird but I like it

3.75

Heck yeah. Super Furry Animals. I don’t listen to this band enough, but I really like this sound and similar bands of the era. Enjoyed this album. Everyone should know this band.

Definitely ambitious. I don't think there is anything particularly bad, or that the band doesn't pull off, but personally there were a few songs that were just "fine". There were some definite highlights, especially "Presidential Suite" and "It's Not the End of the World?" that make me think I'll give this album a few more listens, some of the material that didn't hit me the first time might just be growers.

Cinematic, genre-bending, emotional, and at times hard to keep up with. A few of these tracks are whirlwinds of soundscapey synths that aren't necessarily bad, but could use some cohesion. Occasionally the music will veer into a kind of electronic avant-garde (not good), e.g. in the track No Sympathy. Some of the chord progressions, especially in the key tracks below, aren't necessarily creative, but they're darn great to listen through. The band is very obviously stronger and less abrasive when they lean into their more acoustic sound. I really like the vocals. They're not overwhelmingly the focus, which is often a problem with post-2000 pop: artists in the pop genre will tailor their music to be singable rather than high-quality/complex, and the two are often mutually exclusive. Super Furry Animals knows when to let other instruments shine, usually for the better. This does come at the cost of the lyrics and melodies being a little harder to take in and recall. Key tracks: (Drawing) Rings Around the World, Receptacle for the Respectable, Shoot Doris Day, Juxtapozed with U

Bonkers. Huge influences from everywhere. Rings around the World is a cracking single. I didn't realise the album would be so good. I worked with a chap, years ago, who loved the SFA's. I can see why. Great album.

4/5. A very enjoyable and creative album of diverse, chaotic, and at times, beautiful album. The songs are very well-written and the pop songs are so catchy and accessible. Throwing a metal song in there and rock songs here and there mixed with electronic sounds brings up the score for the album. Honestly, could be a 5 but might need another listen to full appreciate it.

Good alt kinda vibe, bit radioheady

expansive, wonderful and weird, spacey and 4 stars.

I really enjoyed this album. It was new and fresh music I hadn’t heard before

I wasn't expecting much based on the album art, so safe to say this album surprised me. I think the biggest surprise was the the genre, I would've never guessed this was going to be a rock album from the art. I think overall this was a pretty decent album

I don’t think I’ve heard of Super Furry Animals before. The album cover isn’t familiar either. Apple Music list this as a pop album, which is a rarity with albums considered as essential. I’m intrigued. Let’s listen! Songs I already knew: none Favourites: (Drawing) Rings Around The World, Juxtapozed With U Firstly, calling this a pop album is extremely reductive. I’d consider it to be alt/indie rock. It reminded me a lot of Blur, with perhaps a dash of Badly Drawn Boy. This was a really pleasant listen, with a nice mix of typical rock instruments as well of orchestral strings and occasional brass. I hadn’t heard of this band before, but I’m glad I have now.

This album really grew on me with every listen. Interesting that the songs I liked first are among the ones with the fewest listens (shoot Doris day, presidential suite, sidewalk serfer girl).

Un album complexe qui réunit des influences diverses – folk des années 1960, Motown, rock 80, ballade country – avec des échantillonnages contemporains de l'époque.

Cool songs

Oh yes. So very very good.

Nothing great but all of it good

Really enjoyed this. Easy listening and fun sounds

MUY BUENOS !!!!!!!!

The second disk was awesome! I can’t be 100% sure if I heard the artist’s original intent since only later additions were available. Nonetheless, this jumped genre and did reasonably well in all of them

* The way he says "rings around the world" make me think of the "Sega" intro. * [A] Touch Sensitive may be one of the seemingly rare instrumentals along this lengthy musical journey that I actually kinda like the majority of. We'll see if it stays in its current spot (3rd place) or if it shifts around before I finalize things. * Struggling whether to place this in the 3 or 4 star rating category. On one hand, I ended up liking it more than I thought I would... but nothing blew me away. Don't think there's anything I'd go out of my way to listen to. Hmm... -- Album Rankings -- 1. (Drawing) Rings Around the World 2. It's Not the End of the World? 3. Presidential Suite 4. Run! Christian, Run! 5. Juxtapozed with U 6. Fragile Happiness 7. Shoot Doris Day 8. No Sympathy 9. [A] Touch Sensitive 10. Receptacle for the Respectable 11. Miniature 12. Sidewalk Serfer Girl 13. Alternate Route to Vulcan Street

Pretty sure Randy Newman is Jewish. Fuckin GOT EM

Never heard of this band. Enjoyed listening.

Fun listen, lots of good jams, good sound. Some hilarious lyrics in there on some songs. Some beatles-esque violin/orchestra parts & drum beats that felt almost intentionally a nod to them.

English spacey rock vibes, some cool moments reminding me of the Beatles experimental soundscape. The end of “No Sympathy” was lit. Very creative album

This albums shows a variety of musical skills that spans many genres but at some point you wonder why one of the songs needs a industrialesque outro. In that respect I liked this wild journey but some songs felt like they wanted to be experimental just for the sake of being different - and not to write a good song.

It got better towards the end

Sounds good

Great to see a second Super Furry Animals album on the list, although this and Fuzzy Logic aren't the two I would have chosen when Radiator or Phantom Power are bonafide 5/5 albums. This is a strong album and a good representation of SFA's genre bending sound. Rings Around the World, It's Not the End of the World, Receptacle for the Respectable, Juxtapozed with U, Presidential Suite, and Run! Christian, Run! stand out, but overall the record is just a touch pedestrian for my tastes, despite the creativity and wide array of genres. Respect for Receptacle for the Respectable. There are so many distinct parts and ideas to the song that I always assumed it was seven+ minutes long. However, it turns out they've somehow jammed it all into four and a half minutes. Rating: 3.5/5 Playlist track: Receptacle for the Respectable Date listened: 30/12/23

8/10 Best discovery so far. Highlights: Receptacle for the Respectable Rings Around the World A Touch Sensitive Fragile Happiness No Sympathy

Quirky adventurous Welsh indi pop thars diffucultvyi dislike. a joy at times

Melodic. Kooky. Genre-bending. Brilliant.

Pretty darn good.

3.5 stars rounded up. "[A] Touch Sensitive" was the best track. Some of the Super Furry Animals' songs are a kaleidoscopic melding of psychedelia, pop, rock and electronica, similar to Primal Scream but more accessible and fun. Some of the tracks sound like vintage Britpop that never made it across the pond, which from my perspective, it is.

Me fue gustando más conforme escuchaba. Me daba gatazos de Gorillaz o Blur, pero terminé apreciándolo como su propio ente.

Jeg ved ikke hvordan jeg skal klassificere det. Grateful Dead, Beatles, nogle gange næsten James Bond agtigt. Super fedt at lytte på, høj teknisk evne!

I really dig this! A lot of variety. Sometimes a little goofy, but some really good stuff, nice instrumentation and interesting styles.

Surprisingly fun and unexpected.

Never heard of this when it was new. Surprisingly enjoyable brit-pop influenced sound.

This album is all over the place, as you would expect from a band named like this. Even an Eastern European countryside bus ride feels dreamy with it.

I'm definitely gonna come back to this album, I really loved how diverse it was and I think it deserves many more listens

Favourite tracks: rings around the world

With the music and electric effects of Neural Milk Hotel and the creativity of The Beatles, this is an album I think most people will have fun with. And though it slows down the mood by the last couple songs, the mood matches them as they all sound beautiful!

That's the kind of album I was hoping to find on here. Took about six listens but I think I get it now. Such a mix and mesh of genres and bands in here. It's like if The Flaming Lips decided to make a tribute album to the Beatles, Squarepusher and Radiohead blended into one.

Would listen again. Some good tracks

Like if Wilco and flaming lips had a baby

Really enjoyed this, and not something I'd normally listen to

Probably wouldn't have picked it and honestly probably wouldn't have stuck it out if not for my listening project, but I think I'm glad I did. It's pretty genre bending and veers into classic southern rock by then end in an interesting way. Didn't pay close attention to the lyrics but the titles alone are great. I'll give this a 3.5/5 stars, I enjoyed it but it's not my usual cup of tea.

This is such a cool album. To me it feels like a slightly heavier Tally Hall vibe, very weird and fun and unique songs. Receptacle for the Respectable goes CRAZY.

Cute and fun album ! Loved the electronic touch ! 7/10

Oh wait… fantastic incoming.

Someone give Nige a call on 07797098556. Tell him SFA are good.

Oh, this is some crazy ass shit. I was expecting britpop, but I got literally every single genre ever conceived in the history of humanity rolled into one album. Their song diversity game is undefeated. It's like the album itself has ADHD. Strong 4/5.

With Rings Around the World, Super Furry Animals gives the listener a rather neat entry into their sprawling, spiraling, often seemingly impenetrable world. Over the course of fifty plus minutes, they dazzle and render all doubts of weirdness a tad obsolete with impressive and impressionable tunes that manages to be not only expansive but quirky in their own right. Favorites: Alternate Route to Vulcan Street, Sidewalk Serfer Girl, (Drawing) Rings Around the World, [A] Touch Sensitive, Shoot Doris Day, No Sympathy, Juxtapozed with U, Presidential Suite, Run! Christian, Run!

This album is weird. It felt kind of generic at first, but then it randomly got death metal at the end of ‘Receptacle for the Respectable’. Then ‘[A] Touch Sensitive’ was a nice beat. Then ‘Shoot Doris Day’ started off like a song you would sing for a holiday or something, though it got more normal. Then ‘Miniature’ was a spacey 40 second instrumental. Then ‘No Sympathy’ was like a Nick Cave song that randomly turned into an Aphex Twin song in the last two minutes. Then ‘Juxtaposed With U’ was like a reggae song with randomly robotic vocals. Then it got more normal. Well, it’s oddly middle-loaded, with the beginning and endings being a 3 and that part being a 5, so we’ll average it out. Side note, can I get something more interesting than a sixth four star in a row today? Thanks if yes.

This was really terrific. I’d always heard that this was a cool band, but I was impressed by the scope of this album. The opening track and title track were standouts, but I really liked the psychedelic freak out on No Sympathy and also loved A Touch Sensitive.

HL: title track, “(A) Touch Sensitive”, “Run! Christian! Run!” Very fun album overall. Some bizarre twists & turns, like the CSNY-invents-dubstep in “No Sympathy”, or the bits about Monica Lewinski (I guess not that bizarre for a 2001 album) “Receptacle” is either the best or the worst song- currently making up my mind about the last minute or so. June 10, 2023

Brain flossing

legal o fadinho, som bem agradável

I didn't know what to expect here, especially with a name like Super Furry Animals, but I liked this a lot. Strangely, it reminded me a lot of the Beach Boys. Maybe just because I've been listening to them a lot lately, but I saw some commonality in melodies, instrumental layering, and vocal styles. I didn't love the more electronic-y elements of this, but overall I was impressed. 4 stars.

How can you not love Gruff and the gang? In my top 3 indie bands of the 90s. This is where I drifted off from the furries, loved their first 3 albums (where's Radiator here???) and Mwng the Welsh album is just fucking fantastic. After that though I enjoyed the singles for a bit but didn't drive into the albums. I came back to the albums for the superb Love Kraft. So I don't have the same nostalgia for this. Have been back since though and Alternative Route to Vulcan St is gorgeous. The title track was deservedly massive for them. As was Juxtaposed. They finally started getting on Top of the Pops around now. Not the end of the world is lovely and soulful. You really can hear the ELO references on this album, something I hadn't realised were so present until recently. Receptacle is a good laugh and harks back to their earlier stuff. Except for that last bit. No ta, lads. There then follows a few good but not great songs (a furries album staple, unfortunately) - Touch, Doris, Sympathy, Presidential. Drop any of those and they're not going to be heavily missed. Although the techno bit of No sympathy is mental and I am totally here for that. Run Christian Run has the epic quality needed to finish us off, a fairly straight ballad which spirals off enjoyably. Was great to revisit in bed on a Saturday morning after a shite week but my Mrs finally got back from hospital.

Gevarieerde britpop met enkele speciale stukjes tussen: wat metal-scream, wat dub... Beter dan hun debuutalbum alleszins

I had never heard of this album or the band or any of their songs. After listening, my expectations have far been surpassed. So much range on this album. Lovely songs that were also so original it’s hard to believe it came out over 20 years ago. I loved the entire thing start to finish even if some songs didn’t quite land. 4/5

I think this is underrated. I hadn't heard it before. People don't mention the band very often. They combine lots of styles into a cohesive sound. It has anything from the Beatles to Acid House. And it's all good. Definitely better than the average record on the list. Favorite song: Sidewalk serfer girl

This album is delightfully all over the place.

I just felt really swept away by this album and enjoyed swaying along. Musically all over the place in a way that I dig.

Fun

Fabulously bonkers stuff!

De véritables baiseurs de gueules sont ces gars-là. J'ai aujourd'hui reçu un message de Robert me félicitant d'être enfin à jour dans mes critiques. Il s'est en effet passé sept mois depuis la dernière fois recensée. Une nouvelle extrêmement positive en somme.

There is much to appreciate.

I don’t know what this is but I like it.

First time listening to SFA, wish I had done so earlier. What a gem! Quite a big fan of Gruff Rhys solo stuff so I’m not sure why I haven’t bothered with them earlier. Got a lot of what I like in a band: sometimes US indie, sometimes pysch, sometimes electronic, heavy pop tinges, often bordering on the strange. This is what I want to hear whenever I listen to Flaming Lips. Will definitely return

Really fun and varied

I've said this before, but this album reminds me so much of Random Access Memories. Very cool, advanced album for its time. Favorite track: Juxtapozed with U

A bit quirkier than standard britpop/indie, but definite shades of contemporaries like Blur.

Love this. Like elbow but less dirty. Really interesting listen

There was a very interesting blend of styles in a lot of these songs. Take "No Sympathy," where the intro reminds me s lot of "Wish You Were Here," and then suddenly turns into some kind of techo slammer. Really cool. I think my favorite was "Sidewalk Serfer Girl." The juxtaposition between the two styles really worked well. And if the first or second song connects for me, that's always a good sign. The ending, it seemed like the singer was trying out a different vocal styling which did not work as well for me. But I stuck with it, and in total I liked this album a lot more than I was expecting. May definitely look more into this band.

1/12- Playing sudoku

Nothing too special but very enjoyable nonetheless. Album cover doesn't match the sound at all. Interesting instrumentals. Alternate Route to Vulcan Street was a good song to place in the beginning. Fave track(s): Receptacle for the Respectable, Presidential Suite

What a journey through many genres all at once. 4/5

For my 300th review, I listened to Super Furry Animals album, Rings Around The World. An interesting listen, with a rich, lush sound and at times, the tunes have a retro feel, while others are sonically powerful and full. I enjoyed the album, not the best I've heard this week, but a well accomplished record, considering it's more recent than most on the list.

Trying without success to remember when I got into this band and how (definitely something my better half introduced anyway). Great album, one I hadn’t heard before.

This is really weird and fun in the way that only obscure alt rock can be

Unremarkable but a good listen

This album is definitely something of an interesting experience. Somehow it manages to sound more like a playlist broadcasting the variety of early 2000's rock, rather than an album. How convincingly they manage to pull off the range of styles is enough to warrant four stars. However, it would also be fair to stop and wonder why they're even doing this - if it wouldn't be better to just focus on the couple of styles they're best at instead of trying to do a bit of everything, seemingly for no other reason than the sake of it?

Super fun genre hopping quirkiness…

Why do I like it so much?

A good album, it didn't start well but then there are some song like It's not the end of the world?, A touch of Sensitive and No symphaty that makes this album very good. I really appreciated the electronics and the general experimental vibe

Mix of hard rock and easy listening. Great listen.

Love it! Lots of prog rock notes with a delish mix of hooks and weirdness.

This album walked so Random Access Memories could run. This type of music and use of electronics had to have been considered extremely advanced for 2001. And sure, some of the electronica moments are over-modulated and can sound cacophonous or overwhelming. But this album was awesome overall. Favorite track: Juxtapozed With U

A lot of fun. Got a little out there on one track, but otherwise a solid retro vibe from a modern band. Love it

Would have rated it higher on the memory of loving it 20 years ago, but it is not quite a five star record for me now. Still really enjoyed it though, and hope more sfa comes up in future. Favourite songs were the (sort of) title track, juxtaposed with u, and run! Christian, run! 4 🌟

Decent album

Cosmic 🌎 👍🏾

Playful, eclectic & unpredictable. I dig it

Foolishly, I’ve avoided this band because of their name. Recently a friend sent me a bunch of their video clips, which i discovered are well worth a look. Having finally listened, I find that I’ve fallen in love with this album. There are so many highlights. Juxtaposed With U sounds like a great Burt Bacharach composition. I love No Sympathy. The instrumentation & harmonies in it remind me of Crosby, Stills & Nash. In fact, the harmonies are generally wonderful and they combine with the full-on psychedelic approach of the band to create a great sound. There’s something schizophrenic about Sidewalk Surfer Girl. It wants to be soft & sweet and loud & noisy at the same time. Beachboys go metal. And a big mention to Run! Christian! Run! and my favourite lyric - on the midnight train to Jordan. This album was recorded at the legendary Rockfield Studios. I can recommend a doco doing the rounds about that Great Welsh institution. So glad I’ve discoveed this album.

road trip music - want to watch the DVD!

really enjoyed it

Só conhecia Hello Sunshine deles. É um bom álbum, leve e meio melancólico. Melhores músicas: Sidewalk Serfer Girl e It's not the end of the world?

This was alright. Not trippy but kind of fun.

I like this one about as much as I liked their "Fuzzy Logic" a few months ago. This one seems a bit more serious but I can hear the influence of decades of pop music behind them. I don't know that I could pick one of their songs out of a musical line-up but I enjoy listening to them.

Lovely off-kilter indie rock from the pre-Funeral era. Brings me back to a time alongside Elephant 6 that I have a lot of nostalgia for.

Note from my last review: I meant to say "I hated this shit when iT came out." Not "...when I came out." Now, on to much better music - Super Furry Animals. This record was a favorite of a guy I worked with at a pizza place in college. He played it often in the kitchen while we were slinging' 'zas, and I always liked it. Very chill. in the late 2000s, FAWNN played with Gruff Rhys (might have spelled that wrong) and he was a real nice guy, increasing my like of this band. I'm a real sucker for chilled out and dreamy music like this, but even considering that, this feels like an important and beautiful record. Love the strings/electronic arrangements. And, I really like when a song like "Rings around the world" comes in with some more fundamental rock guitars and vocals (Beach Boys-esque). It balances things out to have some more tangible tracks among the looser/dreamier ones. Yeah, I love this record.

I never listened to this band much when they were putting stuff out, and - honestly - I probably would have hated it at the time. But now, it’s hitting me at the right time. I can’t even explain what I like about it - the music is cool, there is some fun wordplay, but nothing objectively special. Still - I really like it.

Not sure it will make it into my rotation, but it was rich and diverse. Surprising and pleasant.

Far lovelier than I remember, and I remember it being nice anyway.

Another great find!

4/5. Solid pop rock/ a lil experimental.

I actually liked it. Good vibes and lyrically fun. I enjoyed the layers textures of sound. It reminded me of another band that I can’t put my finger on…

Awesome, SFA are the best band out of Wales, Manic Street Preachers are really the only other I know… It’s really a fantastic record, Gruff Rhys is a genius. So many styles from acoustic ballads, techno beats to metal screaming it’s all here.

Out there, maaaaaan. Reminds me of Pulp, the Beatles, and the Flaming Lips in distinct parts. Very trippy. Slightly overstays its welcome, but still a pretty neat listen. Favorite tracks: "A Touch Sensitive", "Subway Serfer Girl"

Surprised I missed this when it first came out. There are elements of many different musical tastes throughout the (very expansive) album. It's like lounge-Beck w/ mixtures of jazz, folk, and mellow rock. I'm listening to the 20th-anniversary release, which includes remastered and remixed versions (not sure if those are included in the original.

Would have rated it higher on the memory of loving it 20 years ago, but it is not quite a five star record for me now. Still really enjoyed it though, and hope more sfa comes up in future. Favourite songs were the (sort of) title track, juxtaposed with u, and run! Christian, run!

Huge "Spiritualized" vibes on this one. Very chill listen.

Like a happy OK Computer with awkward lyrics - it’s better than expected

Britpop albums like this have had a mixed record with me so far, but this is one of the good ones. The vocals sounded like the Doves and the production was a lot more abrasive and electronic than I expected. Fav songs: a touch sensitive, run! Christian, run!

Pretty good! I enjoyed what I listened to. Will revisit.

Really solid album with very cool instrumentals and themes. Lots of fun and catchy songs

I like it! Similar vibes to early OK go and Flaming Lips

😎 Surprising good 😎

Bit weird sounding at first, with ProgRock/Psycholedia/Instrumental parts mixed with some slow ballad-type songs but if one embraces the weirdness it ends up being quite a nice ride

Overall a good album. Very eclectic. I didn’t like it all but I did like most of it. I could listen again.

Another tough one. I wasn't familiar with and really liked it, so definitely 3.5. As I sit here the next day, I DO actually want to listen to it again, so it's getting a 4. An interesting sound overall, I'm not even quite sure how to describe it. Indie rock I guess, but it doesn't have that worn out generic indie rock sound? It had a touch of weirdness to it. I dunno, pretty good though.

3.5

Glad I got to hear this band that I didn't knew existed. They reminded me of blur, so it was cool.

Wow, i wasnt expecting this at all. I kept my hand in my chest all time. A great record

-Really love how the tempo of the drums in the first three songs slowly increased -Obvious Beatles influence -Sings very much like the guy from Blur and Radiohead -Really interesting and new seems to challenge the boundaries of music with panning and dominant drums and bass, recommend to sam -Really like how it has such a wide assortment of musical styles on it yet you still manage to feel that it is all part of the same album because of the constant drums.

Really enjoyed this one.

Way more exciting than I thought Super Furry Animals were, loved the breakdowns and different styles in the songs.

ONE OF THOSE GREAT 90s EXPERIMENTAL ROCK ALBUMS THAT EXTOLLED THE VIRTUES OF FREEDOM.

Really enjoyed this, but felt it fell off a bit towards the end.

Some great songs. Goes to places I didn't expect. Benefits from multiple listens.

I hear some Manic Street Preachers in their sound. Maybe Oasis too. 70s AOR. Mr. Bungle. Turns out they are from Wales. Will be checking out more of their material.

Pretty varied album, good work background music.

Good background rock music, would listen again

Super fun

Pleasantly surprised by this one! Very 2001 in its deployment of techno-city. Got a lot of late stage Elvis Costello in this. And more than anything, really loved Shoot Doris Day. I may start listening to this band!

This is a new artist and new music for me. Some of the tracks remind me of things that I listen to. "No Sympathy" starts off sounding like a something from Phish in the mid-nineties, finishing with a twist ending (not so much like Phish). "Juxtapozed with U" reminded me of some of the music from Damon Albarn and the Gorillaz. "Alternate Route to Vulcan Street" was a good way to start the album. We'll call that track my "favorite" for the album. The album was interesting enough that I'd probably listen again. (3.5 stars)

I really liked this album. I had heard Juxtaposed With U, but not really too familiar with the Super Furries apart from that. It was definitely up my street. Gorgeous and mellow, with lots of interesting instruments.

RATW introduced SFA to a wider audience with more of a polished sound that didn’t take away from their previous eccentricities. Great singles including Juxtaposed & End Of The World while the country tinged Run Christian Run was a mellow direction for them. Their run of albums including RATW is sublime, sensational band. SFA OK!

really enjoyable! first time listening to supper furry animals.

Brilliantly Beatlesque in places, electronically wacky in others. Eclectic!

Just my kind of vibe. Gives me very big Moody Blues energy with a modern twist. I wanna dive deeper into these guys.

Kinda weird, but I liked it.

Banger

Surprisingly down to earth, and VERY funny!

FUN

Just a whole lot of fun. Beautiful melodies giving way to strange, psychedelic riffing. The vocal timbre of the singer is also pleasant. Really enjoyable!

Probably my favorite album so far on this journey. I liked how many different influences you could hear. I had never heard any of these songs before, and that makes me sad. Will be listening to this again. Top 3: Alternate route to Vulcan Street, Receptacle for the Respectable, [A] Touch Sensitive

A wide range of sounds and genre mix-ins, pretty interesting. I had never heard of these guys before. Smooth listening, catchy melodies.

I wasn't aware of this one and it turned out to be a very pleasant listen. The mix of songs is very eclectic with each one sounding significantly different than the previous- keeping the listener on their toes. I'll revisit this one for sure.

Chill and I liked all the places it went.

This is why I’m doing this project. I’ve never even heard of this group let alone listened. This is wild.

This was new to me, and I really enjoyed it. I like when bands can navigate little experiments and moments of genre bending as seamlessly as they do. They really caught my attention at "[A] Touch Sensitive" and perhaps my favorite was "Juxtapozed with U."

Very interesting

At the height of their powers. Such an enjoyable album! Freaky and wavy and odd, but also just lovely pop rock songs. I have overlooked the lyrics before, but there is some great stuff in there.

Enjoyed this.

Trippy

Fedt album. Mange gode harmonier og gode numre. Har en specielt blandingslyd. Desværre lider nogle af numrene lidt for meger af eksperimentering til at give top karakter. Men absolut et godt album. 4 stjerner måske 4.5 efter flere genemlyt

Great songs, production could make more of the lovely voices.

Pretty cool with some tracks I didn't like

Pleasantly enjoyable. Like a fusion between ELO and post-AM Arctic Monkeys.

Ring ring!!

Within the first few minutes of listening, I thought to myself “this reminds me of something I heard on Yo Gabba Gabba”. Looked into it and they were performers on one of the episodes. Music is a bit out there for me. I didn’t dislike it, but I’d need to be in a very specific mood to want to listen to it. A handful of the tracks were a bit irritating though.

Im kinda seeing the hype behind them

Ёбаные фурри

If only the whole album was how it started. This really is a 3 star given the range of genres on show here. 3/5 Top tracks: alternate route to Vulcan street, a touch sensitive

This was pretty good, strong second half

alright

There's something strange about this band

Actually a very solid album and not at all what I was expecting. Another album that feels like a precursor to run of the mill Williamsburg Indie. But I really did dig the harmonies. Nothing incredible, but really solid. Highlights: It's Not The End of The World, A Touch Sensitive

It's hard for me to imagine anyone loving EVERY song on this album, since it's such an eclectic mix. By the same token, it seems impossible to absolutely HATE everything here. Listening to the first track ("Alternate Route to Vulcan Street"), I was prepared to be bored and completely underwhelmed. But the next two tracks ("Sidewalk Serfer Girl" and "(Drawing) Rings Around the World") were delightful. I'd say be prepared for that kind of experience. In the end, the underwhelming outweighed the delightful for me, but there's nothing to really fault about this effort.

They always sound like such a music critic band to me. All their reference points are so carefully curated and present. Despite their drug addled wild bunch reputation it all sounds a bit too self consciously cool. I prefer this to the other one on the list for its longer in the studio lushness, but maybe if they'd recorded it through a tin can it would be better.

It sounds like hold music. Good hold music, but hold music never the less.

Completely new music for me. They seem to be going to great lengths to avoid being formulaic, while staying within the bounds of sounding good. I respect this. The song I find still running through my head is Its Not the end of the World… which is reminiscent of For Forever by the Beach Boys. My only complaint for this album is that there are so many downtempo songs… I have to be in just the right mood for this much mellow.

Expectation: -> No clue what today's album will entail. After listening: -> After an impatient start to my listen, had this at a 1. Then realized this isn't a 1, planned a 2. Then gave it more time and I'm starting to dig this. 3 it is. Maybe in another week it will be a 5? Not likely but glad I didn't commit too early. Found this fun, odd, and kinda memorable. Extra points for the band name. Track ranking: Juxtapozed End of the World Sensitive Sympathy Rings Serfer Receptacle Doris Presidential Run Vulcan Fragile Miniature

This was... interesting. I liked the blending of genres, even if it felt a bit unintentional, but there were some grating bits that made certain songs difficult to listen to. I did, however, finally get a chance to listen to the song where Paul McCartney is credited as playing the carrot and celery, so that was an absolute highlight.

a good attempt

I think if they stripped out some of the extra grating backing sounds it would have been a real set of bangers for me. But still enjoyable!

Goofy and made me want to dance :)

Very strange but not unenjoyable!

It’s a fine top 20 album of 2001 album, but I suppose in the first 50 years that the book started chronicling from that’s more than enough to get it in. Does feel like padding though.

On the whole I liked the album. Not one I would run out and buy, but if one of their songs came on the radio, I wouldn't turn it off.

There were some fun songs on this album, but overall nothing spectacular. I have no idea how this is supposed to be one of the most influential albums of all time.

That was all over the place and messy. Not bad.

I enjoyed the song Rings around the world. Other stuff did not stand out.

Not bad and somewhat interesting. It mostly held my attention until the last 2 or 3 songs when my interested started to wane. I might like this more after a few more listens.

Muy chido!!

- dude im so bricked today i gotta stay celibate - the music i say is pretty calming - could be study music - how does anyone think of this many songs

The Flaming Lips light

SFA are a vibe. I need to be in a certain mood in order to enjoy their records. Fortunately today was one of those days. I recall Rings Around The World coming out and enjoying the distinct diversity of the record. It really is a hodgepodge of ideas with some working better than others. Rings Around the World is a terrific alternative-pop Jesus And Mary Chain inspired track, Sidewalk Serfer Girl is catchy as well with a touch of Lincoln era They Might Be Giants song structure and sound. And that I think is the point - SFA albums all sound like the good parts have been lifted from somewhere else. Juxtaposed With U could have been lifted from a Spanish disco record although I’m reminded of Yvonne Ellinan’s track on Saturday Night Fever. As I said it’s a weird ass record because no two songs fit a the same genre and the subject matter is all over the place. It’s a good album but truly you have to be ready to listen in the moment leaving your preconceived notions about what a record is meant to be in the hands of super furry animals masquerading as SFA. 3.5/5

this was so over the place lmao but i’m intrigued…… i think i must relisten…..

I quite enjoyed this today - a concoction of Britpop sixties like melodies with psychedelic elements and moments of the unexpected. A lot of sixth form academic boys in the late 90s championed this band song with other Welsh outfits and this album got marmite reviews - some of their best and worst - and the mainstream advent of TV based talent show pop put this group back to the margins. The appearance of the Paul McCartney and John Cale certainly gave Gruff and the boys the kind of credibility that Will Young and Gareth gates could only dream......

Decent neo-psychedelic album with some cool trip hop elements and such, but not really something I'm clamouring to listen to again.

Completely passed me by without making an impression. Not terrible I guess.

It's alright! It's interesting to hear them juggling so many genre influences and still coming out with a decently cohesive album. Paul McCartney apparently showing up to play a carrot and celery might lowkey be the most remarkable thing about it all. Standouts: Sidewalk Serfer Girl • [A] Touch Sensitive • Juxtapozed With U • Run! Christian, Run!

Niet echt mijn smaak ook al zitten er paar hele leuke nummers op dit album zoals '[A] touch sensitive' en 'Miniature'

This has like crazy cool moments, but also has some slop between them

This is a band that on paper I should really like, but I always kind of like any time I’ve listened. This is absolutely a solid album, and I think I would have been into it if I were an adult and not a tween at the time of its release, but I think the early 2000’s had much better products in this style than this one. I respect it, it has some strong moments, and is delightfully weird and Welch. My ears hear a 3 with 4 potential with more listens.

An incredibly mixed bag. Turns out I didn't know at all what SFA sounded like. Some great, some shit!

first listen forgettable

Pretty unique, I enjoyed most of it.

Not sure on this one. There's an eclectic mix of genres and styles. I get a hint of Blur and The Doves throughout which, imo, highlights the melodic qualities of some of the tracks. The diversity is a little jarring, but I guess it has a little something for everyone in that respect. Overall, it's good, but doesn't quite grip me.

A decent Neo-psychedelia album, with some very disorienting moments and catchy melodies. I want to say that this album is very different from other projects of the same style, due to how incredibly strange and out there are some of its moments, in addition to the combination of the great amount of effects and electronics used. However, they also have some very recognizable and standard melodies, riffs, orchestration and compositions, so it isn't as unique as it might sound. Either way, I'll give them that this truly feels very psychedelic, much more than many other attempts from other bands I had to listen to. So what makes this album stands out are some incredibly weird parts, like the endings of "Receptacle for the Respectable" and "No Sympathy" (specially the latter feeling like some of the most chaotic pieces Aphex Twin has ever put out) or even the robotic singing of "Juxtapozed with U". There are also some nice spacey parts, such as the intro, "[A] Touch Sensitive" and the interlude "Miniature", which can be very relaxing and immersive. What I didn't really liked about the record are the standard and cliché elements. Not that they are badly done, is just that I think they hold back a lot of the experimentation and makes the project less memorable. Furthermore, the album ends with three incredibly melodramatic tracks. Other than that, I think the album can be both fun and smooth, so overall, I think it is a good experience.

201 / 1089. Not every track lands, and some seem dated 25 years later. But there are some highs here worth exploring again. 6/10.

Nice enough to listen top twice on a Saturday afternoon, but I don't recall a single tune on Sunday morning.

I kindda like this, but nothing really exciting happens.

Went into this completely blind, but mostly enjoyed it. A little jazzy sometimes, a little Elvis Costello sometimes, and sometimes weird as hell.

The Super Zany Animals have improved since their impressive debut. Rings Around The World is another clever, witty, and fun listen. They have improved musically as well., sound effects too. (3.49*s) Didn’t hear Paul on the “celery and carrots”.

My only other exposure to these super furry animals is from the list with their debut album which was great. By their 5th release here they have slowed down but still experimental. Some cool electronica and weirdness thrown in for good measure. Not bad but not quite what I had expected or hoped for. Side B is a bit better. Still get an Albarn influence from these guys so feel like this will be right in jlbusch21's wheelhouse. 2.63 stars for still coming with something different. Need to check out their middle 3 albums if they don't show up on the list.

I remember SFA being a thing back in college and always dismissed it based on the people listening to them. Having actually listened to them now, I can see the appeal but it’s not my thing. British psych-pop. Well done but I’ll pass.

I’m not sure I get it, but there were parts I was very into. Want to listen a few more times.

Almost quit it after the first track but was pleasantly surprised

Some good songs on there. Pretty solid album!

Kinda trippy haha, not bad

A bit long but there were some cool tracks on this - definitely not a progressive pophead but this was decent!

This is one of those albums where you enjoy yourself as you're listening. But you also know you'll never listen to it again. A mix of Blur & Flaming Lips.

A few interesting tracks, but overall not super memorable. Solid 3/5

niet onaardig maar ook niet echt wereldschokkend

An interesting album, although a bit disconcerting to discover that this is just one of two Super Furry Animals albums in the collection, as this one didn't seem interesting enough to warrant another one (although of course the other one is their debut album). I kind of liked the eclectic range of the tracks, and also kind of didn't like it that most of that range was pretty backward-looking in some ways; my favorites on the album were probably the not-so-retro "[A] touch sensitive" and "No sympathy". But props to them for getting Paul McCartney to chew carrots and celery on "Receptacle for the respectable" (apparently reprising a similar role he played on The Beach Boys song "Vegetables" (on "Smiley Smile")), and for getting John Cale to play piano on "Presidential Suite". And I like the amount of attention and time they spent creating a DVD with surround sound versions of the songs, although I'm not sure they should have included low-budget videos for every track, especially since most of the videos had no obvious connection to the songs. I also liked how they seemed a bit like a more positive/happy version of Radiohead.